Sewing machine



July 24, 1928.

' W. J. STEERE SEWING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet July24, 1928.

W. J. STEERE SEWING MACHINE yFiled Deo. 15, 1923 g Q R N O @l WRX; a upl .j

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A l W. J. STEERE SEWING MACHINE July' 24, 1928. l

w. J. sTEERE.

SEWING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 192s Patented July 24, 1928.

1 UNITED; STATES Y WILLIAM J. STEEEIL'CEnoCKWoonfTENNEssEE, AssIGNoRTo,vsoiUTnEENl-TEXTILE MACHINERY CoMrANY,oF PADUCAH, KENTUCKY, ACORPORATION or; KENTUCKY.

" ,sEwING MACHINE,"

Appnatiqn mea December 1', `51 92's. se'riax No. 680,960.

This iinvention relates to machines for unitingV fabrics, and whichlcomprises, generally, a rotatable dial having a series of radiallyextending impaling pins for receiving and advancing the Vedgesof thefabric to be united, and a sewing mechanism including a needle and alooper acting in conjunction with each other to effect the lsewingoperationfwhile the edges of the fabric are advanced by the impalingpins. n

,An object of the invention is to provide an vattachment for a `machineof the type disclosed `in the patent to 'Keyser-, 1,069,336, grantedAugust 5, 1913. The attachment is .intended to'modify theoperation ofsuch `a machine by causing the dial carrying the fabrics to becontinuously rotated and effecting lateral movement of the thread needleand, preferably, also of the looper, while the needle is in the loopstocorrespond with the movement of thev subjacent impaling ms. v p A'further object of the Vinvention is to provide a mechanism forlaterally vmoving Athe needle and looper which may'be'readily applied tothe machine, and which is also adjustable to vary the extent of lateralmovement imparted to the needle and looper.

Further objects of the invention, ysuchas to'provide a novel, simple andeflicient construction and organization. of mechanism for actuation ofthe needle and looper during the sewing operation, will become apparentas`the description proceeds in connection with the embodiment of theinvention disclosed .in the accompanying drawings, where- Figurel is atop plan view of the machine, showing the invention applied thereto.

'Figurel 2 is a 'rear elevational view. 'Figure 3 is va `frontelevational view Vof Yportion ofthe sewing mechanism.

A' VVFigure -4 is an end view ofy the sewing mechanism. K' l Figure: 5is a crosssection kthrough the driving shafton substantially the line5-5 of Figure 2. V Figure 6 is a sectional Vdetail View ofthe .-.camlformoving lthe sewing mechanism laterally asit isfopera'ted. y Referring to'the drawings'for a more detailed description, the-miachine shown in thedrawinfrs is vof standard type, similar to that Vs'how'nin thepatentreferred to, and its main frame comprises abcd plate 4 Vandan in the artand bein jrod, "as will later be described. end of the guideis mountedan vadjusting screw 30,' whichabuts the #side of the boss 25 andmaintains thefbracket in vertical Voverhanging. arm 8l extendingupwardly therefrom.y J ournalled at the outer end of the arm andsupported thereb isa rotatable dial 9 'carrying a ring of radlallyextending impalmg 1ns10.' The dial is'driven continuously rom a mainshaft llmounted ina b ear1ng'12'in the armS'and in a bearin 13 extending'upwardly from the `bed pate.

. The shaft carries a. bevel gear 14 meshing withfa bevel gear lupon akshaft 16, thelatterhavlng fixedly positioned thereon a Worin17'Ineshingwith a wornr gear 18, fromwhich the dial 1s drivent `Furtherdescription of :this4 mechanism for imparting continuous Arotation'tothe dial is thoughtto be unnecessary, since tlie same is old and wellknown shown, for instance, in the patent to Wrig t, 1,057,106, March25,1913. It will be noted, however, that the end vof the shaft lnadjacentthel maindriving Shaft supported in a bracket 20, Whichextends upwardlyand is carriedby a `braclret supporting plate 2 1 xedly secured upon avstationary rod 22 extending through the arm 8 and rigidly mountedthereon. y The rod 22 e;

serves asv a support for the `sewing mechanism, and for this'pu'rposeCarries abra'cket 23 having a sleeve portion 23 surroundingv the rod.The bracket has a depending arm 24 provided with a boss 25, whichisstraddled by the forked end 26 of a'guide 27, the latter atits upper endbeing fixedly secured to the rod For this purpose, the endof the'guide1s split, as at 28 (Figure 4), `to

lsurround the rod and carries aj clamping,Y

screw`29, by means of which the guide is secured tothe rod. 'This guideserves tomaintain the bracket againstrocking movement vupon the rod 22,ybut permits ya sliding movenient vof .thev same longitudinaliv upon then the lower @Sition.v The bracket, 23 has an additiona dependlng arm'31(Figures 2 and3) having at "its lowerjenda boss 32, which serves as avertical bearing forY arock shaft'33, the latter carrying Vat its lower'end a looper 'arm 34, upon which is mounted a :curved looper l 35. Therock kshaft 33 is rocked tooscillate the looper kby mechanism which willlater rbe described.v A shaft36 extends kthrough theV boss" and into aside opening (not shown) 'in the boss132so that the same is roo ros

bodily carried by the brackeees'and may move laterally with the bracket.Upon the shaft 36 is mounted a sleeve 37 having -formedintegrally-therewith a yradially expins, the looper is oscillated inahorizontal plane substantially paralleling the plane of the impalingpins. That is to saythe eye of the needle during .the operationl thereofdescribes 4a vertical arc and the eye of the looper during theoscillation thereof moves from side to side of the line of sewingdescribing an arc in a Asingle plane at an angle with respect to theplane of the arc described n by the needle eye. vThe vertical shaft 33serves as an axis for the looper, while the horizontal shaft 36 servesas an axis for the oscillatory movementof the needle,y both of theshafts being carried by the bracket 23. The invention includes means formoving the bracket 23 longitudinally on the rod 2v2,A so

() o that the needle is carried laterally while between the loops tocorrespondwith the movement of the subjacent impaling pins. Thisactuating mechanism willA now be described.

Upon the main shaft 11 is xedly secured va disc 40 carrying upon oneface a cam ring 41, shown lmore clearly in .Figures l and 6. Screws 42extending through the face of the ring secure the same upon the disc,4and adjusting screws 43 vpassing through the disc will" serve to'adjustjthe ring toward and from the face of the former, whereby theextent of lateral movement ofthe bracket may be varied. A follower44'engages, the face of the'cam and is mounted upon a reciprocablepushrod 45 having a slide bearing inl a sleeve 46V securedmin abracket 47extending rearwardly and upwardly from the rod 22. The opposite'vend ofthe push rod carries aforwardly extending arm 48 `(Fig'-4), in which vismounted a finger 49 `paralleling the pushy rod '45 and bearing against'an arm 50, extending `upwardly from the bracket 23. VThe .followerv44Vis normally maintained in contact withl the -cam by vmeans of a tensionspring 51 anchored at 52 toV a pin upon the bracket 47, and at itsopposite end secured to a pin 53 'upon the:y follower; the vspringserves to return the rod to the right, asl viewed in Figure 2, when,undery the` actuation of the cam,

vit has been moved to the left. It rwill be understoodthat as the `camrotates, the folvlower and push .rod are moved tothe leftV (Figure 2)andthe linger 49 bearing upon thearm i`of the bracket moves the latterwith the push rod, thus imparting a lateral movement to the looper andthread needle whichare supported'b'y "the bracket. TheV bracket 23 isreturned to the position shown in Figures 2'and' 3 by means of a'spr1ngJ5'4 l (Figure V3) anchored'at 55 to the guide 27 andhaving itsother end secured to a lug 56 upon the bracket. When the bracket 1smoved -by the .cams to Vimpart llateral movement to the needle, thespring 54 is placed i under. tension and y continuedV rotation fofy ythe.cam permits :the springfto returnfthebracket to its normalpositi'on',"the return movement being limited by a collar57 Vfixedlymounted upon the rod 22 and serving as an abutment for thesleeve portion4.of the bracket.` `It is often desirable to v,vary the ,extent ofthelateral movement of the'needle, asifor instance when the number 'of dialpinsto the inch is varied,` j which. is f sometimeszdoneto take care ofla change to coarserlforf' finer fabrics.v The Vcam ring'41upon'therplate 40inaybe adjusted for-thispurpo'se byreleasing thescrews- 42 and rotating; the Hadjusting screwsl 43 to carry ythe ring,towardvr or away. fromtbe faceyof vthefplate'; thus renderingunnecessary the .provi sion -of a newcamjj x l. i.

The mechanismv-for operating the needle connected to the vertical looperYshaftf33 by means of va pitman .6()fconnected-atlione end to a strap 6lsurrounding an eccentric 62 upon the main shaft. As in the' patent' toKeyser referred lto, ythe fouterl surface, of

ythe eccentric is made convex, and the inner surface of the strapconcave to permit the pitman to be rockedlaterally as the bracket 23 ismoved laterally, Atitsmopposit'end the pitman is connected to anvarm 63fixvedly secured to thelooper shaft 33.; Nodetioned-.. VIt willbe note.:lhowever, thatthe arml 63aupon the looper shaft supports'an yupwardlyextending post'64 (Figur'ezfl), the upper end of which isprovidedwithaball 65 fitting into. .ajsocket in thepitman Y The thread"eeiiiejiofis oseiuaedgina vand looper will nowlbe described.VForoscillating the looper 35, the'niain shaft l'lfisy 95 ics verticalplane from a crank pin 67, (Figure 1') at the end of the main shaft,`[towhich is secureda pitman 63 connected at itsbther end to a pin 69iixedly secured'in the crank armf39 on theneedle sleeve v371.' I'I'heiGrank pin 69 extends 'throiighnan' eye 70"atthe outer end of thepitmanand lis 'lofi sufficient length to permitthefnee'dle sleeve andthe pin to, move laterally relativetov the pitman (68. The latter fisheld, rigidly fagainist"-flat eral movement with the `needle supportingbracket 'by means of a peripherallyl grooved wheel 72 upon'thecrank pin67,"into"' the groove of which projects a stud 73 secured to the pitmanby means of a bracket 74. The stud and bracket are rigidl vconnected tothe pitman, and since the former projects into the grooved wheel, thepitman is held rigidly against lateral movement with the needlesupporting bracket. When the bracket has moved laterally, the crank pin69 upon the needle support reciprocates in the eye 70 at the outer endof the pitman.

During the operation of the machine, the fabric to be united issupported upon the impaling pins and is advanced during the continuousrotation of the dial to the sewing mechanism. As the driving shaft isoperated, either by means of a hand crank C at the outer end of thesame, or by means of power applied to the driving pulley P, the needleis oscillated in a vertical plane, While the looper is oscillated in aplane at an angle with respect to the plane of the needle. The eye ofthe looper moves from side to side of the line of sewing and describesyan arc in a. plane paralleling the plane of the ring of the impalingpins. WVhile the needle is in its eXtreme downward position, it is movedlaterally by the mechanism already described, so that it correspondswith the movement of the dial, and when it has moved yfrom adjacent theimpaling pins, it is returned by means of the spring 54 to the positionshown in Figures 2 and 3.

Since the invention relates entirely to the attachment including theparts which afford a lateral movement to the needle support, no detaileddescription of the usual sewing operation is thought necessary.

The needle and looper of the machine to which the invention is shown asapplied, perform the sewing operation in the same manner as the machinedisclosed in the patent to Keyser referred to, while the inventionadapts the machine to the` continuous rotation of the dial by moving theneedle and looper laterally while the former is adjacent the impalingpins.

It being understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the particular machine illustrated and described in detail, but maybe applied to other types of machines, what I claim is:

l. In a machine for uniting fabrics, the combination with a continuouslyrotating dial having a ring of impaling pins, a driving shaft, a curvedthread needle, a supporting arm for said needle, means for osbracket.

2. In a machine for uniting fabrics, the combination of a dialv having aring of impaling pins, means for continuously rotating the dial, abracket, a. support for said bracket upon which it is longitudinallymovable, a driving shaft, a cam driven from said shaft, a follower forsaid cam, a push rod carrying said follower, and means on said rodengaging the bracket whereby the latter is moved on its support by saidcam, a thread needle carried by said bracket, meansfor oscillating theneedle on said bracket, a looper, a looper support on said bracket,means for oscillating said looper support in a plane at an angle to theplanev of movement of said needle, said bracket moving laterallyduring-the oscillation of the needle whereby the latter is carried lat--erally while in the loops to correspond with the movement of thesubjacent impaling pins, and means for varying the extent of lateralmovement of the bracket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM J. STEERE.

